Boufarik was chosen as its site because of its location at the heart of the fertile Mitidja plain, following a narrative according to which the region prosperous agriculture demonstrated the value of the colonization project.
The monument was designed by sculptors Henri Bouchard and Charles Bigonet [fr] with architect Xavier Salvador, in the Art Deco style that was dominant at the time.
On 20 November 1929, their project won the design competition organized by the Conseil supérieur du centenaire that coordinated the centenary celebrations.
On the wall stood an inscription in colossal capital letters, "[dedicated] to the French colonizing genius" (French: au génie colonisateur français), with a text in smaller letters beneath that read "to the heroes, to the pioneers of civilization, to the makers of greater France" (French: aux héros, aux pionniers de la civilisation, aux réalisateurs de la plus grande France).
[2] The monument was inaugurated on 5 May 1930 by French President Gaston Doumergue, with numerous notables including Louis Franchet d'Espèrey attending.